2022 -- S 2253 | |
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LC004461 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- VOTING DISTRICTS AND OFFICIALS POLLING PLACE | |
CAP | |
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Introduced By: Senators F Lombardi, Ciccone, Picard, Miller, and Felag | |
Date Introduced: February 11, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Judiciary | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 17-11-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-11 entitled "Voting |
2 | Districts and Officials" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 17-11-1. Division of towns and representative district into voting districts. |
4 | The local board of any city or town may, on or before the sixtieth (60th) day preceding any |
5 | election, divide or redivide the city or town, or any representative district in the city or town, into |
6 | voting districts. The local board of each city or town shall determine voting districts by |
7 | geographical boundaries and by no other means. No voting district shall at any time comprise parts |
8 | of two (2) or more wards. It shall be the duty of the board to divide the city or town, representative |
9 | district, or ward, so that substantially not more than three thousand (3000) four thousand (4,000) |
10 | total eligible registered voters shall be served by the same polling place; provided, however, that |
11 | any divisions conducted by the local board pursuant to this section shall not result in creating a |
12 | polling place serving less than five hundred (500) total eligible registered voters, except when a |
13 | polling place is located in a low-income or elderly residential development, or when it is caused by |
14 | legislative district boundaries; and provided, further, that no existing polling place which is |
15 | presently located in a low-income or elderly residential development shall be eliminated. Upon the |
16 | establishment and approval of any polling place by the state board, changes to the polling place |
17 | shall not be allowed until the next redistricting by the general assembly, unless the polling place |
18 | becomes unavailable to the city or town, or no longer meets polling place minimum requirements |
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1 | as established by the state board, then the city or town may take the appropriate action to replace |
2 | the polling place. A polling place may be located either within or without the voting district for |
3 | which it is established; provided, that a polling place may be located outside the district only upon |
4 | unanimous determination of the local board and subject to the approval of the state board that a |
5 | suitable place is not available within the voting district. |
6 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- VOTING DISTRICTS AND OFFICIALS POLLING PLACE | |
CAP | |
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1 | This act would increase the maximum number of voters that a polling place can |
2 | accommodate from three thousand (3,000) to four thousand (4,000). |
3 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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